Why Do So Many People Fall Behind On Their Taxes?

In 2009, a spokesperson for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service estimated that 8.2 million Americans owed over $83 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest (approximately $10,000 per person). Despite the threat of owing thousands of dollars to the U.S. government, millions of Americans continue to fall behind on their taxes.

People get behind the tax eight ball for many reasons – but some of those reasons are more common than others, says Daniel Morris, a certified public accountant (CPA) with Morris & D’Angelo, a Silicon Valley-based accounting firm.

“There’s the ‘I’m too busy excuse,’ where the person’s life is out of control and was simply too overwhelmed to complete the paperwork,” he says. “Typically, that person believes they will get to it ‘next week.’”

“Then there’s the life disruption excuse, which has more validity,” he adds. “There could be a death, illness, cancer, divorce, or a loss of job that derailed them from performing their normal compliance requirements.”

Harlan Levinson, a Los Angeles-based CPA, says he gets numerous calls each year on late tax payments, both individually and for businesses.

“The reasons are myriad,” he says. “Some people say they didn’t feel like opening the mail, or they don’t have the time to do their taxes.”

Here’s a more “fleshed-out” list of reasons that otherwise conscientious people get behind on their taxes.

Failure to File One of the most common mistakes a taxpayer can make is failing to file a tax return. But if you live and earn income in the United States above a minimum threshold amount during a particular year, you are required to pay taxes and report that income by filing a federal tax return.

To see if you have to file a return, the IRS uses three criteria: your age, your filing status and your income. Generally, once you reach a certain income level, the law requires you to file. The amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.

For 2013 tax returns, individuals younger than age 65 must file if they make at least:

The earnings threshold amounts go up a bit for older (age 65-plus) individuals:

$11,500 for single filers

$14,350 for head of household filers

$21,200 for married couples filing jointly where one spouse is age 65 or older

$20,400 for married couples filing jointly where both partners are 65 or older

The earnings target is the same – $3,900 – for married couples filing separately, regardless of age.

Underwithholding By law, employers typically withhold taxes from your paycheck. What you may not know is that if enough taxes are not withheld from your paycheck throughout the year, you, the employee, will likely owe the IRS when you file your tax return during tax season. The IRS calls this “underwithholding.” It’s usually triggered after an employee claims excessive exemptions on his or her IRS Form W-4 (completed at the time of hiring) that results in not having enough income tax withheld throughout the year.

Estimated Tax Payments Another common form of falling behind on taxes is linked to business owners and entrepreneurs. People who are self-employed are responsible for paying their own taxes on a monthly or quarterly basis, depending on their income and estimated tax payments. Since they are self-employed, they do not have an employer to withhold taxes from their paycheck – that’s usually an effective backstop for people who might otherwise forget to file their taxes. But if you’re self-employed, and you fail to make your estimated tax payments throughout the year, you’ll likely incur a large tax liability at the end of the year.

Additional Triggers It’s not just self-employed Americans who are pressed for time – everyone is busy these days. Consequently, some other reasons people may owe the IRS are directly linked to what’s going on in their personal lives. For example, a taxpayer may have a family crisis or an emergency that occurs around tax season that prevents him or her from filing a tax return on time or from paying his or her tax bill in full. In that situation, the IRS will issue the taxpayer a bill for the amount still owed.

Other taxpayers may simply misunderstand the tax laws and take exemptions, deductions and credits that they are not qualified to claim. In this situation, the IRS will usually contact the taxpayer and inform him or her of the reporting error. The taxpayer is then required to validate the exemption, deduction or credit taken. Without proof, the IRS will correct the taxpayer’s tax return and the taxpayer may incur a hefty tax liability, penalty and/or interest.

In any of the above circumstances, if the IRS thinks you owe past due taxes, they’re not shy about getting a hold of you.

Usually, the IRS sends you an ominous-looking bill via snail-mail, but sometimes they might reach out to you via telephone. In serious cases, they may even attempt to visit you at work or at home. If the agency is unable to get you to voluntarily satisfy your tax debt, it may take collection action (i.e. liens, levies, garnishments, and seizures) against you. It will also tack-on penalties and interest while your debt remains outstanding.

The Bottom Line

To avoid owing the IRS, focus on being self-motivated and educate yourself on your tax reporting and payment obligations. If you are ever unsure about your tax reporting and payment obligations, get a hold of a tax attorney, CPA or professional tax preparer and, in certain circumstances, the IRS.

Above all, always be alert, and always file your taxes on time, no matter what you owe.

“My best clients are planners,” notes Larry Pon, owner of Pon & Associates, a Lawrence, Kentucky-based tax planning and financial advisory firm. “They are involved and aware of what was going on.”